Monthly Archives: October 2010

The number of Apps available for Googles Android is expected to reach 140,000 within the next couple of weeks as the market place becomes increasingly competitive. While still lagging behind the number of apps available for the unlocked iPhone4 by an estimated hundred thousand Android is increasingly becoming a respectable alternative for those attracted by the variety of third-party software available for the iPhone.

However when comparing the two markets the quality of Android apps are often brought into question. This is because unlike Apple, who review and check every App that they allow to be sold or downloaded, Android apps are subject to very little quality control. This means that many apps are malicious or in some cases just useless.

An example of malicious software is the recent news in the headlines that many third-party apps were transmitting users GPS location and phone number to advertising servers which many people have seen as a severe breach of privacy.

However this isn't always the case. One successful and safe Android app is the Geolocation based Foursquare which has just released version 2.0 to Unlocked Motorola Milestone Android users. Foursquare utilises the GPS function on phones to allow users to 'check in' to physical locations so they can show friends where they have been.

As this shows, the Android app market still has a lot to offer but users may have to be more aware and perhaps tech savy if they are to avoid installing malicious content. It is worth noting however that Google dismiss this criticism citing that “Not only must each Android app get users' permission to access sensitive information, but developers must also go through billing background checks to confirm their real identities, and we will disable any apps that are found to be malicious.”

It has just been announced that over the last several years Verizon have been billing millions of customers for data usage in unfair circumstances. It appears that these were customers without data plans whose phones contained software that occasionally connected to the internet without the users consent. Often this was caused by customers accidentally hitting the 'internet button' on a cell phone and then immediately closing the window.

Without a data plan in place, this resulted in minor charges for the customers involved eventually building up over time to several dollars per customer. Verizon have announced that most customers affected by this will be receiving $2-$6 credited to their accounts or else if they are no longer with Verizon they will be sent checks in the mail.

Whilst for individual users the amount refunded isn't all that significant, given that Verizon have said this could affect up to 15million customers it appears that this will end up costing them quite a large sum of money once this is over.

In a press release explaining this situation Verizon said that: “Verizon Wireless values our customer relationships and we always want to do the right thing for our customers.”

However according to the New York Times, Verizon have known about this issue for quite some time and it would appear they are only issuing the refunds after hundreds of complaints and significant pressure being applied from the FCC. To quote the FCC Enforcement Chief Michele Ellison, “ questions remain as to why it took Verizon two years to reimburse its customers and why greater disclosure and other corrective actions did not come much, much sooner”

In light of this condemnation, for some cell phone users the unexpected dollars credited to their account might be a pleasant surprise, for others however this will only add to Verizon's poor reputation when it comes to looking after their customers.